HornSports Staff
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We're very excited to welcome Shannon Kelley as a Horn Sports contributor. Shannon is going to be adding some weekly insight into the game, recruiting and this year's Longhorn team.
Rather than us brag on him, we asked for his first contribution to be an introduction, his background, etc. He obliged and also included a quick piece on the basics of pass protection (linked below his intro). Help us welcome Shannon to the Horn Sports family!
Without further ado...
Hey guys & gals,
I’d like to share, from a coach’s perspective, what some of the concerns are when facing an opponent. But before I do that, allow me to share a little about myself - my name is Shannon Kelley and a long time ago, I played Quarterback at UT. No, I was not a Heisman trophy winner, nor was I and All-American, nor was I all Conference - I was just a very average Quarterback that was blessed enough to enjoy living out my childhood dreams.
It was a great experience that will live in my heart until I am long gone. Make no mistake, there were some great times and there were some very tough times, but those tough times were great for building character. It can be quite challenging on a young man trying to perform his best in front of a sold out Cotton Bowl versus OU, or even at DKR. I have taken many memories, both good and bad, and have been able to apply them to life.
First thing I learned while playing QB at Texas, was that life is not always fair. It doesn’t always work out the way you had planned it. If you are a person of Faith like I am, you soon realize that it’s not all about you. You think the opposite when you are young, but realize that the train is leaving the station, with or without you. I learned quickly that I could either eat lemons and have a sour face, or make lemonade. I chose lemonade and found that much of the advice I am blessed to give my athletes while coaching, comes directly from my past experiences that were tough on me.
I also learned that things in life are never as good as you think they are, and likewise, are never as bad as you think they are. The key for me was learning that being “steady Eddie†and “keep on keeping on†was all about the attitude I chose to use in all that I do. Your attitude is something that you can directly control. Being a leader is not just about performance. It’s about how you carry yourself and how you act even when people are not watching. I often tell my players that you can either lead or follow but make a decision and be the best you can be of what you choose.
More often than not, a leader has to get out of his own way. Know what it is that you are planning to do and know it well. Master your craft and it will remove all your self-doubt. With complete confidence, teammates will not doubt you and will follow.
When I graduated from Texas, I ventured into the investment business. I continued my education and got my MBA. Later on in life, I got into real estate development and it was really fun while the bubble lasted. Had great fun being involved in making money, but the reward was never what I thought it would be. The paydays were great, but the internal reward was hollow. Finally, it wasn’t until my mother became terminally ill with cancer, when she said to me “stop doing what you think everyone else around you thinks you should spend your life doing, and go do what your heart desiresâ€. iT WAS GREAT ADVICE!
I took her wisdom and made a call to a friend in West Virginia who gave me a coaching job at Fairmont State University coaching QB’s. I had always been involved in coaching clinics and never really got away from the game, so coaching was not very hard for me to do, even though it had almost been 20 years since I had last played football. From there, I went on to coach running backs at Cal-PA.
The road back to Houston was interesting…I was at a coaching convention in 2008 and ran into Dean Campbell - he coached at UT when I played. He made a phone call for me and got me an interview with Coach Vic Shealy (Head Coach at Houston Baptist University). At the time, HBU was planning on starting up a football program and Coach Shealy thought I would be a good addition to his staff. Coach Shealy hired me on the spot! (Another thing you learn in life is that it’s not just “who you knowâ€, but just as importantly, it’s “who knows youâ€.)
It’s been wonderful coaching at HBU and we are about to start our inuagural season in the Southland Conference (FCS). I am currently the Assistant Head Coach/Running backs Coach at HBU. I also coach the KOR (kickoff return) team for my special teams duties. I recruit the San Antonio/Austin area high schools.
Now that that is out of the way, I would like to share with you some very basic football information on Pass Protection.
I look forward to chatting with everyone and hope to increase the comfort level around Horn Sports with the basics of the game.
Have a blessed day!
Thank you-
Shannon Kelley
Photo credit: fanbase.com
Rather than us brag on him, we asked for his first contribution to be an introduction, his background, etc. He obliged and also included a quick piece on the basics of pass protection (linked below his intro). Help us welcome Shannon to the Horn Sports family!
Without further ado...
Hey guys & gals,
I’d like to share, from a coach’s perspective, what some of the concerns are when facing an opponent. But before I do that, allow me to share a little about myself - my name is Shannon Kelley and a long time ago, I played Quarterback at UT. No, I was not a Heisman trophy winner, nor was I and All-American, nor was I all Conference - I was just a very average Quarterback that was blessed enough to enjoy living out my childhood dreams.
It was a great experience that will live in my heart until I am long gone. Make no mistake, there were some great times and there were some very tough times, but those tough times were great for building character. It can be quite challenging on a young man trying to perform his best in front of a sold out Cotton Bowl versus OU, or even at DKR. I have taken many memories, both good and bad, and have been able to apply them to life.
First thing I learned while playing QB at Texas, was that life is not always fair. It doesn’t always work out the way you had planned it. If you are a person of Faith like I am, you soon realize that it’s not all about you. You think the opposite when you are young, but realize that the train is leaving the station, with or without you. I learned quickly that I could either eat lemons and have a sour face, or make lemonade. I chose lemonade and found that much of the advice I am blessed to give my athletes while coaching, comes directly from my past experiences that were tough on me.
I also learned that things in life are never as good as you think they are, and likewise, are never as bad as you think they are. The key for me was learning that being “steady Eddie†and “keep on keeping on†was all about the attitude I chose to use in all that I do. Your attitude is something that you can directly control. Being a leader is not just about performance. It’s about how you carry yourself and how you act even when people are not watching. I often tell my players that you can either lead or follow but make a decision and be the best you can be of what you choose.
More often than not, a leader has to get out of his own way. Know what it is that you are planning to do and know it well. Master your craft and it will remove all your self-doubt. With complete confidence, teammates will not doubt you and will follow.
When I graduated from Texas, I ventured into the investment business. I continued my education and got my MBA. Later on in life, I got into real estate development and it was really fun while the bubble lasted. Had great fun being involved in making money, but the reward was never what I thought it would be. The paydays were great, but the internal reward was hollow. Finally, it wasn’t until my mother became terminally ill with cancer, when she said to me “stop doing what you think everyone else around you thinks you should spend your life doing, and go do what your heart desiresâ€. iT WAS GREAT ADVICE!
I took her wisdom and made a call to a friend in West Virginia who gave me a coaching job at Fairmont State University coaching QB’s. I had always been involved in coaching clinics and never really got away from the game, so coaching was not very hard for me to do, even though it had almost been 20 years since I had last played football. From there, I went on to coach running backs at Cal-PA.
The road back to Houston was interesting…I was at a coaching convention in 2008 and ran into Dean Campbell - he coached at UT when I played. He made a phone call for me and got me an interview with Coach Vic Shealy (Head Coach at Houston Baptist University). At the time, HBU was planning on starting up a football program and Coach Shealy thought I would be a good addition to his staff. Coach Shealy hired me on the spot! (Another thing you learn in life is that it’s not just “who you knowâ€, but just as importantly, it’s “who knows youâ€.)
It’s been wonderful coaching at HBU and we are about to start our inuagural season in the Southland Conference (FCS). I am currently the Assistant Head Coach/Running backs Coach at HBU. I also coach the KOR (kickoff return) team for my special teams duties. I recruit the San Antonio/Austin area high schools.
Now that that is out of the way, I would like to share with you some very basic football information on Pass Protection.
I look forward to chatting with everyone and hope to increase the comfort level around Horn Sports with the basics of the game.
Have a blessed day!
Thank you-
Shannon Kelley
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